Moving Forward
by marie-moxley-ambrose
Summary: Six months after her husbands brutal murder, Norah Miller moves back to Charming with her daughter hoping to find someone that will help her get justice for her late husband. What she didn't expect was to fall in love again and with someone who's just as heartbroken and grief stricken as her. Jax/OC.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

"I'm going to drop Maddie off at school and run a few errands before my shift at the diner," Norah Miller told Jason as she slung their six year old daughter's school bag over her shoulder and grabbed her wallet and keys off the kitchen counter. "Is there anything you want or need?"

"Not right now. I'll call if I need anything." Jason smiled placing a quick peck on her lips. She noticed his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Okay," she said returning his smile with a small one of her own. "Come on Maddie, you're going to be late!" she called out to the young girl as Jason went back to getting ready for work.

"Coming!" the little girl called back to her mom before running down the hall. She took her mom's hand as they walked out of the apartment.

After getting Madeline into her seat, she got into the driver's seat and started the drive to Madeline's school.

Norah and Jason had met in Norah's first year of college and quickly started dating. In Norah's final year, they became parents to beautiful baby girl with his light brown hair and her mother's brilliant blue eyes. A year after Madeline's birth, they married with only family and a few close friends as witnesses.

But recently something had changed with Jason. Norah always being as observant as she was noticed the changes. He was becoming withdrawn and slightly paranoid. He wasn't his fun loving usual self.

Pulling up to the school, she got out and got Madeline out of her seat. She walked with her to her classroom and helped put her bag on the hook with her name above it. She crouched down so she could look at Madeline face to face. "Mommy will see you when she gets home from work."

The little girl nodded, her curly brunette locks moving with her head. "Is daddy or Grandma June picking me up today?"

"Daddy is." Norah told her. Norah's mother, June, would pick Madeline up and look after her until Norah or Jason would finish work. It wasn't often Jason could pick up their daughter from school.

"Okay," Madeline smiled.

Norah returned her smile. "I need to get going. Be good for Miss Susan."

"I will. I love you mommy."

"I love you too, baby."

Madeline gave her kiss before running over to her friends. She stood back up to her full height and walked out of the school. She got back into her car and drove to the grocery store.

**-x-x-x-**

Norah stepped through the door to the apartment not knowing how much her life was about to change. Walking into the kitchen she put the few grocery items she bought into the refrigerator and cupboards.

After everything had been but away she walked into her bedroom. The scene in front of her made her fall back in shock. On her bed her husband laid, beaten and bloody.

Standing up, she slowly made her way towards the bed. Her voice was trembling each time she spoke his name. Tears started streaming down her face as she tried to find a pulse. When she couldn't find one she called 911 distraught and crying.

**-x-x-x-**

"I'm sorry Mrs Miller, the case has gone cold." The detective that worked her husband's murder told her over the phone. It had been four months since she walked into her bedroom finding her husband brutally murdered.

The case had been cold for 2 months, every lead they got ended with a dead end. It didn't stop the 27 year old from calling them often. She didn't know what else to do. She tried to find out more information herself but she ended up dead ends also. Her husband's killer was like a ghost. There was no trace of him anywhere.

**-x-x-x-**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" June asked her daughter as they packed the last box of her belongings into the moving truck her older brother was driving. She was grateful her brother owned the company and was helping her move for free. She had little money left after her husband's funeral, which the money he'd saved in an account she didn't know about helped pay for.

She also didn't know that he'd started a College fund for Madeline, so it was one less thing she had to worry about. She just had to work, so she could raise Madeline the best she could as a widowed single mother.

After paying for the funeral costs, she had enough money left to buy a small house. She'd kept it in a savings account until a few weeks ago when she took a trip to Charming, to look at buying her and Madeline a house. She settled on a decent size four bedroom house, it had two bathrooms, a big backyard for Madeline to play in and a two car garage. It had a nice kitchen that Norah instantly fell in love with. She loves to cook. It didn't matter if it was for ten people or just for her and Madeline. The living room wasn't huge but it wasn't small either. The whole house was a perfect size for her and her little girl.

"I'm sure," Norah nodded. "It's been six months since his death and nothing's been done. I think it's time I moved on." That last part was a lie.

"If you see your father, tell him I say hi."

Norah scoffed rolling her eyes. "Like he's gonna recognize me."

"Those blue eyes are going to be a dead giveaway." June playfully nudged her daughter with her elbow. "And if you left your hair in its natural curls and don't straighten it all the time. Gemma would at least recognize you. According to her, the bitch does know everything."

This made Norah laugh. She was only ten when her mom packed everything up and moved them to Los Angeles. She remembered the dirty looks the two women would give each other. There was no love-loss between June Campton and Gemma Teller.

"I'll be sure to let you know if she or anyone else recognizes me." She told her mom who cringed a little. "Well we should get going. We have a busy day, three hours on the road and then unpacking all this crap."

"Come and visit me when you can." June hugged the younger woman tightly, sad to see her only daughter and granddaughter moving further away from her.

"It works both ways. You can come when Johnny, Linda and the boys when they come to stay. I have plenty of room."

June smiles, "I will."

Norah turned her attention to Johnny, her brother, as he walked over to them holding Madeline, who'd been helping him make sure everything was pack.

"It's time to say goodbye to Grandma." Norah told the six year old little girl as her Johnny stood her on the ground. Norah bit her bottom lip, holding back the tears as June and Madeline embraced in a tight hug. She had no second thoughts about moving back to her home town but it didn't stop her heart from breaking at the sight in front of her.

"I love you, Grandma June." She heard her daughter say, placing a big sloppy kiss on her grandmother's cheek.

"I love you too munchkin. Be good for your mommy okay?" Madeline nodded her head before stepping back and taking her mother's hand. Norah and June hugged again.

"I'll call you as soon as I get to the house so you know we got their safely." She told June knowing June was about to tell her to call when she arrived. June nodded, holding back her own tears.

Norah helped Madeline into her seat and got into the driver's seat. She waved at her mom while Madeline blew her a kiss as she started the drive to their new home. She wasn't sure if she could call it a fresh start.


	2. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Stay where I can see you, okay?" Norah told Madeline as she zipped up the young girl's hooded jersey. They were at the park two streets from their new home. Norah had promised Madeline she'd take her to the park once everything was unpacked. She had most their belongings unpacked but thought her daughter could do with an outing that didn't involve buying groceries or looking for a job.

"Okay mommy," She said and ran to the playground as Norah took a seat on one of the park benches.

"Cute kid," the blonde woman Norah sat next to spoke. "Is she yours?"

"Thanks," Norah said with a small smile feeling slightly awkward. Like any biased mother, she knows she has a cute kid. "Yeah she is."

"I've never seen you around before," The woman said with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Did you move here or visiting?"

"I moved here a few days ago from L.A," Norah told her.

"Los Angeles?" She sounded slightly surprised. "What made you decide to move from L.A to little old Charming?"

"Fresh start," Norah partially lied. She wasn't going to tell a total stranger why she really moved. Part of it was a fresh start but first she had some things to sort out. She decided to change the subject feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Which kid is yours?"

"Abel. He's the little blonde boy talking to your girl. Technically he's mine but he doesn't know that." She said. Norah looked at her confused but didn't ask questions. She knew to keep her nose out of other people's business.

"It's a long story. I'm Wendy by the way." The woman introduced herself when Norah didn't say anything.

"I'm Norah," she introduced herself also, "and my little girl is Madeline but she likes to be called Maddie."

"Cute name," Wendy smiled a little. She looked at her watch before standing up, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you; maybe I'll see you around."

"It was nice meeting you too." Norah politely smiled. She didn't miss seeing the few scars on Wendy's arms. Seeing the same scars on her aunt that lived in Reno, she knew what caused them. Without knowing Wendy's story she was in no place to judge her. For all she knew, the blonde woman could be clean now.

She watched as the Wendy made her way over to the little boy that was 'technically' her son and Maddie. She helped Abel up and left the park.

Maddie continued to play on playground equipment for another half an hour before running back to Norah. "Mommy, can we go get a sundae?" She asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"We sure can," she smiled watching as Maddie's grin grew. She stood up, picking her handbag up from by her feet. Taking Maddie's hand they walked out of the park and made their way home.

**-x-x-x-**

After putting money in the parking meter, Norah held Maddie's hand as they walked into the diner. She helped the young six year old onto one of the stools at the counter before sitting down.

"What can I get you two ladies, today?" A plump middle-aged woman asked with a kind smile.

"What flavour sundae do you want, Sweetheart?" Norah asked Maddie.

"Strawberry please," Maddie politely told the waitress. "And can I have drink of coca cola?"

"Sure thing," The waitress said writing it down. "What will Mom be having today?"

"I'll just have a basket of fries and banana milkshake." Norah smiled.

"Alright, I'll be right back with those when they're done." The waitress smiled at them before heading into the kitchen with their order.

"How come you're not having a sundae?" Maddie asked her mom as they waited for their food.

"I don't feel like having ice cream today."

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked looking at her mom concerned.

Norah laughed. "I'm feeling fine."

"Then why don't you feel like ice cream?"

Norah smiled at her daughter's curiosity. Maddie was always a curious child. "Because I'm not six years old and thinking ice cream is the most important meal ever."

"But it is." Maddie said so matter-of-factly. "It tastes so good."

"You know what else tastes good?" Norah asked her.

"Chocolate," The little girl answered without thinking about it.

"Besides chocolate?"

"Pizza," Maddie grinned.

Norah laughed. "Pizza does taste good but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Carrots!" Maddie exclaimed, her blue eyes going wide. Carrots were her one of her favourite foods, especially when they were cut into sticks and eaten raw.

"We'll go get some carrots after we've finished eating." She told her. "You can have some for your afternoon snack."

"Okay," Maddie grinned from ear to ear. Norah found it strange her daughter loves carrots. Jason never liked them and right through her pregnancy she couldn't eat them without being sick.

"You're so weird." She laughed at Maddie's enthusiasm about having carrots.

"So are you mommy," Maddie said, quick to respond.

"I am the one you get it from." She smiled. The young girl has most of her mom's traits. She has her quick wit, her feisty attitude, her kind heart and her sense of humour. She also did a lot of things that reminded Norah of her late husband.

Maddie smiled and threw her arms around her mom's neck and kissed her cheek. "I still love you though."

"So you should, I gave birth to you." She joked kissing her daughter's head. "I still love you too, weirdo."

Maddie laughed but it died quickly as she looked beyond her mother seeing four people who entered the diner.

Norah turned in her seat to see who she who she was staring at. Three very intimidating looking guys wearing kuttes were making their way over to one of the empty booths a few feet away from her and Maddie. She felt a lump in her throat recognizing two of them.

She'd been in Charming a week and still hadn't plucked up the courage to find the person she wanted to find. It was harder than she thought. Now here he was sitting a few feet away. He still looked how she remembered him, just a little older. It was the same with the man he was sitting next to.

She went to tell Maddie to ignore them as she turned back to her daughter but she was already facing the counter digging into her strawberry sundae.

"I wouldn't get involved with him." The waitress told her, her voice low enough for only her to hear.

"With who?" She asked acting slightly confused.

"The blonde one," the waitress said like it was the most obvious thing. "All the girls look at him but he's troubled and brings nothing but trouble from what I've heard."

Norah looked over her shoulder at the third man. He was young, had to be a few years older than her. She saw why women would stare at him – he was gorgeous. But she didn't recognize him. He looked like a hard man, one you didn't want to mess. There was a sadness about him. He didn't show it but she felt it. Catching a glimpse at blue eyes, she felt like she should know him but couldn't remember how. She turned back to the waitress, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What's his name?" She asked curiously.

"Jackson Teller." The waitress told her, not hiding the distaste she has for the young man.

"Jax?" she thought out loud and realized her mistake of voicing her thought.

The waitress raised her eyebrow at her again. "You know him?"

Norah didn't answer. The waitress seemed like the type of person to gossip. Not feeling so hungry anymore, she looked at Maddie to see her finishing her sundae. "You ready to go get some carrots?"

Maddie nodded. Norah pulled a twenty dollar note out of her wallet and placed it on the table. She helped Maddie off the stool and left the diner not bothering to wait for her change.


	3. Chapter Two

**CHAPTER TWO**

Tig laughed at something Chibs said as they walked through the door to Scoops. He wasn't in the door a second when Chuck called out to him.

"Hey Tig, you got a visitor." The man with the prosthetic fingers nudged his head towards the woman sitting on one of the stools at the counter.

Alexander 'Tig' Trager looked at the woman, confusion set in his eyes. Chibs, Bobby and Jax, who had walked in behind him, also stood there just as confused. Tig could tell the woman was nervous.

"Hey Dad," She spoke.

Recognition flashed through his eyes even though he hadn't seen her in 17 years, back when she was just a child. He wasn't the only one shocked to see her.

"Uncle Chibs, Uncle Bobby." She said moving her gaze to behind Tig looking at the two men that were just as surprised to see her.

"No bloody way," the Scotsman mumbled in disbelief.

"Norah?" Tig finally spoke when the shock started to wear off. He should have known he was standing in front of his youngest daughter. She was the only one who'd inherited his insanely blue eyes, curly dark hair. "What are you doing here?"

"I've moved back."

"Why?" He frowned slightly. When he told June to get her and Norah as far from Charming as she could she also told her to make sure they never came back.

"Can I talk to you alone?" She asked him.

He looked at Jax asking if it was okay if he could have a minute with her. When Jax nodded, he motioned for the others to follow him. Tig led Norah to one of the tables and sat down. Norah sat across from him and placed her hands on the table. He watched her as she started playing with the rings around her finger. He noticed she'd picked up on her mother's nervous traits.

"You're married?" He asked getting her attention back on him.

"I was married," she said, with sadness in her eyes and voice.

"What happened?" He asked curiously. "Did he walk out on you?"

"He was killed." He noticed her jaw clench. She was still grieving and angry. "They never found his killer."

Something in his mind clicked. His youngest daughter wasn't here to make amends. She wanted help and with the way he had driven her and her mom away, he felt obligated to help her anyway he could. But he knew he had to talk to Jax first.

"That's why you're here?"

"Not all of it." She admitted. "After Jason died L.A didn't seem like home anymore. I wanted to leave and the first place I thought of was Charming."

"So you moved back then?" He asked and she nodded.

"I never wanted to leave this place. This was my home and it still is. I want it to be my daughter's home too."

Tig was shocked once again. "Daughter?"

She nodded. "You have a granddaughter."

"You'll have to tell me about her," he told her.

"But putting that aside I need to get to why I came here."

"You want to find your husband's killer," It wasn't a question. He knew it was why she'd come to see him. She could live here without him knowing she's his daughter. He didn't even recognize her until she called him dad. Norah looked back down at her hands and twisted her engagement ring around her finger.

"I need to do this so I can move on." She sighed. "I don't feel like I can until I know justice has been served."

"What makes you think we can help?" He asked her.

"There's one lead the cops haven't followed, they might as well be blind to it. My husband's name was Jason Miller." She started explain.

"Miller?" Tig interrupted her. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"His sister is Antonia Miller; she's a biker groupie from Reno. From what I heard she used to hang out at Jury's all the time." She informed him and answered his question at the same. "That was until she married to Dijon Maslow's little brother, Andre. Another thing I've heard is that the Sons of Anarchy have had a few run-ins with the Maslow brothers."

"You've done your research." Tig said impressed. "But Dijon is bad news. If you think Dijon has anything to do with your husband's death, stay away from him."

"I know he's bad news but I'm not sure if he did it or not. Antonia and Jason barely talked." She sighed. "We never got invited to the wedding. We didn't even know that she'd gotten married until Jason's step-father said something."

"So you've never met Andre or Dijon?" he asked. She shook her head no.

"I honestly don't know why he did it, if it was him." She sighed again. "All I know is that Jason got a phone call from Antonia, who only happens to call when she wants something. He went out for about an hour, came home and had been on edge since. He didn't think I noticed but I did. I was about to ask about it too when I found him on our bed, slashed, beaten and shot."

Tig reached out and took his daughter's hand in his when her bottom lip started to tremble.

"He was the nicest man I've ever met. He was sweet, kind and caring, sometimes a hopeless romantic. He'd do anything to help anyone. I don't know why anyone would kill him." She wiped her tears away with the hand Tig wasn't holding. "Dijon's past makes him the most likely suspect. The police never saw it. Antonia lied about seeing her brother. She told them that she hasn't seen her brother in years. They couldn't prove she called him."

"Have you got any other suspects?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, Antonia."

"You think your sister-in-law would do something like that?"

"I only saw her a few times. I never really got to know her." She admitted. "But I have this feeling she knows more than she's letting on."

"And the cops don't think she's a suspect?"

She shook her head. "They just think she's his estranged sister. They're stupid."

"What do you want us to do?" Tig asked her. "I don't know if we'll be able to help."

Norah scoffed. "I was a kid last time you saw me but I wasn't stupid. I heard people talk, I saw the cuts and bruises, I saw the guns you kept, the gunshot wounds you'd try to hid it play off as stupid accidents, I always heard you and mom argue about how dangerous it was."

"A lot has changed since you were a kid." He was trying to change her mind about getting tangled in the club. One daughter had already died because of him, one wasn't talking to him again and now his baby was sitting in front of him wanting their help. He was now torn between helping her and making her turn around and walk back out the door, promising to never walk through it again and stay away from him, even if it meant missing out on getting to know his granddad.

"Like Clay dying? Jax becoming president?Opie and Piney dying? The dramatic rise in deaths?Loyalty issues?" She questioned. "And that's just to name a few."

"How do you know all that?" He asked surprised. She wasn't as sheltered from everything as he thought.

"I have my sources," was her quick reply. "I use to be a journalist for the crime section in a local newspaper. I know who to go to and which questions to ask."

"I guess you're not a journalist anymore?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I quit my job after telling my boss he can shove it up his fucking fat ass when he wouldn't let me take any days off to grieve for my husband."

"What do you do now?" He asked.

"I stick with the photography side of things." She told him. "But changing the subject back to what we were talking about - I really do need your help. Please don't try to change my mind because it won't work. I'll do anything to repay you guys, favours, money, anything."

She almost was begging. Tig could see how much this would mean to her in her eyes. She saw the same look in Jax's eyes months ago after Tara was killed. It was all about revenge, not justice. She thought it would help her to move on.

"Are you sure this is the path you want to go down?" He asked. "It might not end bloody just for your husband's killer, it could for you too. Revenge is a nasty thing, I know first-hand."

"Since when have you cared?" She asked him. "I've seen what you've done Alex," it stung him a little hearing her call him by his actual name. "You obviously have no remorse for anything."

"There are a few things I feel remorse for," he growled at her, his eyebrows creased. "I care because you're my baby. I've lost one girl because of who I am. I'm not going to lose another because she's hell bent on revenge that could get her killed."

"He killed my husband and the cops won't do shit about it!" Her voice rose as she stood up, slamming her hands on the table. It was like looking in a mirror almost. He never thought Norah would also have his short temper. "I thought at least my father would be able to help me. You owe me that much after dumping me and mom in a crappy hotel, leaving us with $500 and a backpack filled with clothes!"

Out the corner of his eye, Tig saw the guys come out from the back to see what was happening.

"I need this." She added her voice softer as tears started to fall again. "I never thought I'd be here asking this, I was quite happy to never see you again, but I need your help... Please daddy."

"I'll have to talk to Jax, see what he says." Tig said giving in. Just from her display of emotions he could see her walls starting to crack. He now had another reason to help her. He didn't want to see her walls crumble, making her do something she'd deeply regret for the rest of her life. "I can't promise anything."

Norah nodded not saying anything as she desperately tried to wipe her tears away, only to be replaced with fresh ones.

Tig did something that was very rare for him. He stood up from his seat and went over to his little girl and pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into his kutte. He ran a hand up and down her back in a comforting way and kissed the top of her head.

When her sobs subsided, she stood back, a look of shame on her face.

"Why don't you clean yourself up and I'll talk to Jax." He told her before she could say anything. She nodded wiping the few remaining tears away. "I'll show you the bathroom." He added leading her through the back after the others had gone back through there.

Once she was in the bathroom, he walked into the room where the others were all gathered.

"She okay?" The Scotsman known as Chibs asked him, concern written on his face. When Norah was young she'd always tell him he was her favourite uncle because he gave the best hugs. The two were close.

"The man she loved was murdered. She's now a widowed mother of a little girl and hell bent on wanting to find the guy that killed her husband. Cops won't do anything about it, won't follow up on anything she says." Tig looked to Jax seeing the younger man with a frown on his face but sympathy in his eyes. If anyone understood how Norah felt, it was him. "She wants our help to find out who killed her husband. I said I'll talk to you."

"Does she have any suspects on who might have done it?" Jax asked.

"She's not sure if he did it but Dijon Maslow's on the list." He told him. "She also thinks her sister-in-law; Antonia Miller knows more than she's saying."

"Those are two names we haven't heard in a while." Bobby spoke up.

"Didn't Tonia marry Dijon's baby brother?" Chibs asked.

Tig nodded. "It makes me think they might have worked together."

"If we help her, it'll be two birds with one stone if Dijon's the killer. She'll get her revenge and it'll be one less person in our way." Bobby pointed out. Dijon had been a pain in the Reno charters ass for a little while. When they would go sort him out, he'd disappear only to reappear when they least expected it. He was extremely smart and incredibly sneaky.

"I don't really want her pulled into this, I want her to have nothing to do with us. I've already lost Dawn because of who I am. I can't lose Norah too." Tig voiced his thoughts. "But I need to help her. She's right about me owing her that much and I'd rather us help her than her doing it on her own where there is more of a risk at being killed."

"Okay, we'll help her." Jax said. "Tell her if she wants to pay us back, not to worry about it. She's family."

"Thank you." A small voice came from the door way. They didn't know she'd been standing there.

"It's no problem," Jax told her. "We help our family."

Tears welled up in her eyes again. These weren't sad tears this time. These tears were of relief, gratitude and happiness. Her husband's killer's days were becoming numbered.

Chibs was the closest to her and the first to pull her into one of the hugs she loved the most when she was a kid.

"We'll catch him, lass." He whispered to her as she held on tightly to the back of his kutte, returning the bear hug. "It's great to see you again, all grown up."

She chuckled softly through her tears. "It's great to see you too. I missed your hugs."

He smiled stepping back from her, letting Bobby hug her next as he said something similar to what Chibs said.

"I missed you too Uncle Bobby." She told him when he let her you.

Next was Jax, he gave her a small but warm smile as he hugged her. Jax was almost 20 when she last saw him. She didn't recognise him when she first saw him at the diner but looking into those gorgeous blue eyes of his she could see the same young man she had a silly little school girl crush on. She adored him when she was a kid, both him and Opie but Jax had a special place in her heart until she 'moved'.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Opie, Donna, & Tara." She whispered when they let go of each other.

She knew Donna and Tara because they were Jax and Opie's high school sweethearts. She looked up to both women as a child. Tara use to babysit her and sometimes Donna would tag along.

"I'm sorry about your husband." He said not surprised she already knew of their deaths. Charming was a small town with people who liked to talk. "I'm sure he was a great guy."

"He was." She smiled sadly. She looked at clock on the wall behind him. "I uh... I have to go pick Maddie up from school. Is it okay if I bring her here for ice cream? I promised her we could get some after school."

"That's fine." Jax smiled.

"We'd love to meet your little one." Chibs spoke up smiling.

"Thanks." She smiled at Jax and Chibs.

"I'll walk you out," Tig said and placed a hand on her back. He led her back into the shop and to the door.

"Thanks for this. And if you guys do need anything, just ask and I'll see what I can do." She told her father.

"There is something I would like," he informed her.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Your phone number. We can stay in touch and the other guys will want it so if I can't get in touch with you they can or vice versa."

"Okay." She said as he pulled out his phone. She told him her number and he texted her so she'd have his.

"I'll give it to the others and tell them to text you saying its them so you have their numbers too."

"Okay." She repeated herself and hugged him again, this time with no tears. "Thanks Dad."

Tig smiled feeling a little warm inside hearing her call him dad and not Alex.

'Maybe we still have a chance to mend our relationship' he thought as he watched her walk to her car, get in and drive away.

"Little Norah Trager has certainly grown up," Jax's voice came from behind him.

He turned around to face his president. "She sure has. I can't tell if she's more like me or her mother."

"She looks like June but with your hair and eyes. Something tells me she has your temper." Jax teased.

"God help us all." Chibs got in on the teasing. "I can only imagine what your granddaughters like."

"Ha-ha very funny." Tig said sarcastically as he walked towards the back, "Now don't we have a sexual sadist to find and torture?"

* * *

><p><strong>Posted this half asleep after a very busy day. Just want to let you guys know I'll update as soon as I can. I'm busy over the next few weeks getting ready to move to a whole new town. Thanks for all the reviews, and for my beta.<strong>


	4. Chapter Three

**CHAPTER 03**

"I thought we were going to the diner for ice cream," Maddie said as Norah helped her out of the car and closed the door.

"I thought we could come here instead," she told her daughter as she locked the car. "Plus there's someone I want you to meet."

This spiked the little girl's curiosity. She loved meeting new people. She wasn't shy like her mom. "Who am I going to meet?"

"Your grandpa."

"I have another grandpa?" Her little eyes almost bulged out of her head. There had only been one time she'd asked if she had two grandpas like she had two grandmas. Norah didn't know what to tell her so she'd said no. She didn't want to have to explain to Maddie why he was never around.

"Yeah you do."

"Why am I meeting him now?"

"It's a long story; you'll understand it better when you get older." She took Maddie's hand and walked into Scoops for the second time today.

She sat in a booth with Maddie sitting next to her.

"Back so soon." The man from behind the counter said walking over to the table, a friendly smile on his face.

"Yeah, thought I'd bring my little girl here to try the ice cream," she smiled back at him. "Thanks for letting me wait around for Tig. I never got your name earlier."

"It's Chuck." He introduced himself

"I'm Norah and this is my daughter Maddie." Norah told him her name and introduced her daughter. "Is Tig still around?"

He nodded. "I can go tell him you're here and then take your orders."

"That'll be great, thanks." Norah smiled again.

"I'll be right back," he said and walked towards the back of the parlour

"Who's Tig?" Maddie asked after Chuck disappeared through the door.

"Your grandpa."

"Is that his real name?" She asked.

Norah shook her head. "His real name is Alex."

"Why does he get called Tig?"

"I don't know sweetie, it's his nickname." She told the young girl.

Maddie's curiosity always led to 101 questions. Some answers would lead to 101 more questions and so on until Norah told her to stop asking so many questions.

Norah was happy that Maddie was such a curious, confident, smart little girl with a huge imagination and the will to give anything a try. Norah didn't want to hold her back from reaching her full potential but as her mother there would be some boundaries she'd put up as Maddie grows older.

"Tig said him and the guys will be out in a few minutes, they're just wrapping up some business." Chuck said getting back to their table.

"Thanks Chuck."

"It was no problem. Now what can I get you ladies?" He asked looking from Norah to Maddie and then back to Norah.

"I won't have anything but Maddie will have a..." Norah looked to her Maddie for an answer.

"Chocolate ice cream please," Maddie smiled at Chuck using her manners.

"One chocolate ice cream coming right up," Chuck smiled back at her and walked back towards the counter.

"What happened to his hands?" Maddie whispered to Norah.

"I don't know. It's none of our business."

Maddie was about to say something when her eyes went big seeing two people walk into the parlour. Norah turned her head and smiled when she saw Jax and Chibs. They returned her smile as they walked over to the table.

"So this is ya little one?" Chibs asked sitting next Norah. Jax stayed standing.

"This is Maddie," Norah smiled proudly.

"Hi," She said shyly smiling at both men. Norah noticed the six year old blush when Jax smiled back at her. She wasn't immune to Jax's good looks either.

"It's nice to meet you, Sweetheart." Chibs smiled holding his hand out to her. "I'm your mommy's Uncle Chibs, and this tall blonde is Jax."

She giggled making mom chuckle lightly to herself. "I think someone has a little crush."

"Aye," Chibs agreed.

"Waiting for Tig?" Jax finally spoke looking at Norah.

"Yeah, he told Chuck he'd be down soon." She told him just as Chuck brought over Maddie's ice cream. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Jax nodded. Chibs moved out of the way to let her out of the booth and sat back down. Maddie started sharing her ice cream with him as Norah and Jax stepped away from them. Norah knew Maddie was in good hands with Chibs.

"Is everything okay?" Jax asked her.

She nodded this time. "Yeah, I just wanted to say thanks again. I didn't want to say anything in front of Maddie. That girl is more curious than Curious George."

"Does she say much about her dad?"

"No," she shook her head sadly. "She hasn't since I told her he was in heaven with the angels. She knows he's not coming back. She might start asking more questions as she gets older."

Norah saw the look of understanding on his face. She was glad to have someone that finally understood where she was coming from. For the last six months she felt alone, especially when people didn't know what she was going through said they did.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow after dropping Maddie off at school?" he asked her.

"No, I'm free tomorrow." She told him. "Why's that?"

"I have nothing planned tomorrow so we could talk about what you know about your husband's death then." He suggested. "That's only if you're up to it."

"What time and where?" she asked.

"Your place and I'll give you a call with a time in case something does come up. I'll most likely have your dad and Chibs with me."

"Okay," She nodded. "Thanks again Jax. If there's anything you need just let me know."

"I'll let you get back to Maddie before they start corrupting her." He joked making her laugh.

"She's a good kid and not easily persuaded." She smiled and walked back over to the table where Tig was now sitting next Chibs. She sat down next to Maddie. "I see you've met Grandpa."

Maddie nodded her head with a huge smile on her face. "I invited them to my birthday."

"Did you?" she asked. "Did they say they'd come."

"They said they'll have to see what happens."

"Okay." She smiled. She gave Tig a look, silently thanking him for not promising anything. The last thing she wanted to happen was her daughter getting her hopes up. She'd been disappointed by Tig many times when he was in her life. She didn't want that to happen to Maddie. She looked back at her daughter. "You can't get upset if they don't come, though. They haven't promised anything and they haven't said they would come to your party."

"I won't," she grinned.

"Good." She kissed the top of her head.

"You and Jax getting things sorted?" Tig asked her, speaking for the first time since she sat down.

"Yeah, if nothing comes up with the club tomorrow, we're going to talk then." She told him. "He said he might bring you two with him." She looked from Tig to Chibs and then back to Tig.

"Is Jax coming over tomorrow?" Maddie asked looking up at Norah when she heard Tig say Jax's name.

"You'll be at school." She told her, smiling at her daughter's obvious crush on the tall blonde, handsome man. "You'll see him again another time." Maddie smiled making Norah laugh. "You finished your ice-cream?" Maddie nodded. "We should head home and get your homework started.

"Do we have to?" Maddie asked whining a little.

"Do you want pizza for dinner?" She asked her as she stood up, grabbing her wallet out of her handbag.

"Yes."

"Then you need to do your homework." She said putting the bills on the table.

"It's on the house sweetheart," Chibs said standing up. He picked up the bill handing them back to her.

"Are you sure?" She asked and he nodded.

"Thanks," She gave them a small smile. "I'll see you guys tomorrow if everything works out."

Chibs nodded. Tig walked with Norah and Maddie out to her car. Norah helped Maddie into her seat in the back and shut the door.

"She reminds me of you at her age."

"You're not the first person who's told me that." She smiled.

"How is your mom?" he asked. He looked genuinely interested in how her mom was. She knew her mom still loved him and he did care for her mom. He may have not been in love with her but he loved her in way.

"She's good." She told him. "She told me to tell you she says hi if I see you."

"I'm guessing you didn't tell her about you coming to find me?"

"No, I didn't."

"When you talk to her next tell her I say hi." He told her.

"Maybe you can say hi yourself. She'll come here for visits." She walked over to the driver's side and opened the door."She's never been able to get over you."

"I'll let you get Maddie home. Thanks for letting me meet her and this soon." He said suddenly not wanting to talk about her mom.

"Even if I wanted to keep her from you, I know I wouldn't be able to, not in a small town like Charming." She got in the car closing the door and rolled down the window and started the engine.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tig said saying goodbye to her.

Norah gave him a small smile and nodded before pulling out of the car park and made the short drive home.

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><p><strong>IMPORTANT AN: For anyone reading any of my stories. If I don't update anything in the next couple of days, I won't be updating for at least a couple weeks. I am moving this weekend and need time to settle in and all that. I will update as soon as I can though.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and thank you to all those who added this to their follow list. I appreciate it very much.**


	5. Chapter Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Norah heard the rumblings of a motorcycle pulling into her driveway as she placed her handbag and keys on the counter. She was on her way home from dropping Maddie off at school when Jax called her saying he was just about to leave. She told him to let himself in when he arrived.

She turned on the coffee machine her mom had given her before she moved even though she didn't like the stuff. It did come in handy when she had coffee drinkers around at her house. So far that only consisted of the guy walking into her house right now.

"Coffee?" she asked him when he came into the kitchen.

"Please," he replied giving her a small smile.

She returned it, grabbing a cup and poured the dark brown liquid into it. She handed him the cup and grabbed the sugar and milk in case he wanted to add it to his coffee. "Is it just you today?"

He nodded, "Something came up but it wasn't anything Chibs or Tig couldn't handle without me."

"Okay."

"Your girl get to school okay?" He asked lifting the coffee cup to his lips.

"Yeah, she did," Norah smiled. "She loves going to school. She's quite the social butterfly."

"Runs in the family," he returned her smile.

Norah busied herself with wiping down the counter and putting the sugar and milk away. Her blue eyes meeting Jax's own blue eyes made something flutter in her stomach. It reminded her of the small school girl crush she had on him. As a teenager he was a cute boy, now as a man in his mid to late 30's, one word couldn't describe how good looking he really is. Norah told herself she shouldn't feel like this. Yes, it had been six months since her husband died but he was part of the reason she was here. She couldn't move on until justice was served.

"Where should we start?" She asked him, wanting to get straight into it.

"I need more of an explanation to why you think Antonia would kill her brother."

"Okay…" she said and started to think about where to start. She knew she should from the beginning but she wanted to get her reasons out first. "From the moment I met her, I knew she was bad news. She looked like trouble and the way Jason talked about her, she was trouble. She and I never got along," she told him. "She tried to attack me once but Jason pushed her away before she could touch me."

"Why did she try to attack you?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"I refused to give her any more money," she told him, "Jason and I were saving for our wedding again because we'd given her the money we originally had saved and I was almost due to have Madeline. We couldn't afford to give her anymore money."

"Fair enough," he said.

"What happened after that?"

"Jason told her if she didn't get out of the apartment, he'd call the cops. She did leave and I didn't see her again until a couple weeks before Jason was killed. I'd heard she'd gotten married and was getting herself into even more trouble then she used to. I don't know if Jason saw her in those six years but I never did."

"Did you ever notice anything that couldn't be explained or you thought he was lying about?" he asked. "Like money or him randomly going out or anything else."

"There were these phone calls but that's all that I noticed. I never noticed anything wrong with our money and he didn't start acting strange until just before he died."

"What kind of phone calls were they?" What do you mean by acting strange?"

"I thought the phone calls were just some kids playing pranks the first few times. Sometimes it would ring, I'd answer it and the person would hang up," she started to explain. "But whoever it was wouldn't stop. Sometimes when Jason answered the phone, he'd walk into another room and he never use to do that, not even with private work calls."

"Who did you think it was?" he asked, reaching a hand across the breakfast bar. He placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. He could see she was getting upset.

"At first I thought he might be having an affair but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't give a mistress our home phone number knowing I had worked from home since Madeline was two." She sighed, feeling horrible that she once thought her husband, who loved her more than anything in the world, would cheat on her. "After realizing there is no way Jason would cheat on me, I had no clue who it could be. No one, as far as I know, had seen Antonia so I didn't think it could be her."

"Until you saw her in your apartment before your husband died?" he asked, making sure he was on the right track. "Did she look different, aside from six years older?"

"She looked like she had aged twenty years. She seemed desperate, a little jumpy, her eyes were bloodshot and glazed over so I'm guessing she was high. She was frustrated and angry which isn't really anything new for her." She said remembering exactly what her sister in law was like when she last saw him. "She didn't even come to his funeral. Her husband did, but she was no-where to be seen. Andre told me he didn't know where she was but it was nothing new, she always went on benders without telling him."

"Was that after the police questioned her?"

She nodded, "If that doesn't scream suspicious, I don't know what will."

"We'll find them."

"I believe that you will, but…" she trailed off not knowing how to say what she wanted to say. Something had been on her mind most of the night. Something she didn't want to think about because she was certain Antonia and Dijon were in on Jason's death. They might not have murdered him themselves but they would have played a part.

"But what?"

Norah pulled her hand out from under his and walked over to the refrigerator. She pulled out the jug of orange juice and grabbed a glass, pouring herself a drink. "What if it's not them? What if his murder didn't have anything to do with them?"

"Then we will find who did," Jax said without thinking about it. "I'm sure your dad and the rest of the guys wouldn't have a problem with it."

She gave him a small smile, saying thanks as she stood across from him again, her glass of orange juice in her hand. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he nodded.

"Did you find out who killed Tara?" she asked, sympathy in her eyes. Tara was the love of his life, there was no way Jax would let her killer live, even if they were in prison.

"Yeah," he nodded again. "It was Gemma."

Norah almost dropped her glass in shock, Gemma was the last person she expected to kill Tara. "I'm so sorry," she told him once the shock wore off a little. "I knew she didn't like Tara but… Wow, I'm… I…" She didn't really know what to say.

"You're not the only one that was shocked."

"Is she…?"

Jax looked down at his hands as he nodded once again, knowing what she was asking.

"This is a lot to take in," she mumbled more to herself.

"I shouldn't have -," He started to say but she interrupted him.

"It's okay, I asked. If I didn't ask you, I would have asked Alex."

"Alex? What happened to Dad?" He asked changing the subject. He didn't need to hear any more about why Norah thought her sister-in-law had something to do with her husband's death.

"I don't know, sometimes it feels right to call him dad, other times it doesn't,"

"He is happy to see you again, to have one of his daughters back in his life," he smiled a little, making her return the smile. His smile, no matter how big or small it was, was contagious.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or not, I just don't want him pushing me away again, I want Maddie to know her Grandpa, I want to get to know my dad better and I want him to get to know me," she sighed. "I just want to have my dad back. If anything, Jason's death has taught me, life can be short. I resented Alex for a long time, now I don't want to."

"He won't push you away this time, he loves you and he already adores your little girl," he said reassuring her. "We'll be here for her party, I'll make sure of it."

"Thanks," she smiled. "She'll be one extremely happy girl knowing you guys are coming. I swear she has giant crush on you already."

"I am irresistible," he said, cockily.

She laughed rolling her eyes, "If you say so."

"Well I should go catch up with the guys," he said getting off the stool and placed his empty cup in the sink. "I'll call or text you later."

"Okay," she nodded and followed him to the front door.

She stood in the doorway, watching him put on his helmet after getting on his motorcycle. After revving the engine a couple times he pulled out of her driveway, waving goodbye as he drove down the street.

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><p><strong>Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have a lot of things going on right now. Hope this chapter was worth the wait.<strong>


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